At Love's End
by jazzmonkey
Summary: All was said and done, however some loose ends were still yet to be tied. Is Alice the one to make that happen? Warning: This has references to another story. More inside. Mentions of A/S.


**DISCLAIMER: I NO OWN BAKUGAN! Actually, I only own the plot, and one character. Charity, Kiba, Adam, Ebony, and Thatch all belong to ****_Copperpelt_****. I only own this piece; the background story also belongs to her.**

**Yes, I know, you're all thinking "If she has enough time to write all this stuff, why doesn't she just finish her story?" This is just one I couldn't ignore.**

**Warning: Read the Fallen Love Trio-by C****_opperpelt_****- before this, though it's not absolutely necessary.**

**Bold **is thoughts

_Italics _is other

ATLOVE'SEND

_If you love something enough, set it free…_

Alice walked out of the store, holding a bag of groceries in each hand. Now that Shun and Alice had decided to live our lives together, everything had turned out for the better.

Both clans were still helping repair the gate between Heaven and Earth, but according to Thatch, it was going extremely well. Adam and Ebony finally realized their feelings for each other and got together, much to everyone's content.

As all these thoughts ran through Alice's head, she lost concentration to where she was going. "I'm so sorry!" the redhead said quickly. She sat down to retrieve the spilled goods.

"Oh, it's alright. Here, let me help you," the other woman replied. She bent over and picked up the items, handing them back to her.

"Thank you very much."

She looked curiously at the bags, "Are you married?" she asked suddenly.

"Why would you say that? I'm not wearing a ring."

"Oh, I just assumed when I saw the amount of food you were carrying," the woman answered.

Alice laughed, "No, I just have a friend that loves to eat."

The other woman smiled. She looked older than Alice, and she was wearing a wedding band. She looked at her watch, "Hm, looks like I have time."

Looking back at Alice, "Do you have time to spare? I could always use company when I'm getting tea."

Alice was a bit shocked at her forwardness, but readily agreed. They walked to a café just moments from where they had bumped into each other. She placed the bags in the seat next to her and ordered a tea as well.

"So," The older began, "What's your name?"

"Alice. Alice Gehabich."

She stuck out her hand just as the teas were set down, "Hi, I'm Charity."

"That's a nice name." The name prickled at Alice's mind, but she just couldn't place it anywhere. She felt like one of her friends had mentioned it, but it was blurry.

"Thanks. So, I guess this must be a bit strange. I tend to be forward, but you seem like a nice person."

Alice smiled, "Oh, it's nothing. I've met people under stranger circumstances."

That was it. They clicked, and off they went into a ladies' chatter.

ATLOVE'SEND

Deep down, as they kept talking, Alice felt like she knew this woman in a way. She didn't understand how or why, but she just did.

Charity looked at the redhead who was intently listening to her. **I feel like I could trust this girl with anything…And the way she said she met people, as if she's seen things no one on this Earth could believe…**

She stopped her story. "Um, Alice?" she questioned.

"Yeah?"

Charity swirled the remaining tea around, then set down the quaint cup. "Could I tell you something that will sound really weird? And you promise not to tell anyone else or go mouthing off?"

Alice leaned in, "Of course."

Charity pulled a piece of her hair back, "Well, years ago. Before I got married, I-I met this one guy. He said that he was an angel of some kind. With wings and everything…" She bit her lip, waiting for the younger's reaction.

It wasn't what she expected.

Alice took a sharp breath. Everything flooded back to her. That final battle, Damien against Kiba. What Damien had said in the midst of the fight to his half-brother.

Kiba had fallen in love once. With a human girl. It had been Charity, hadn't it?

Alice's eyes looked downward, "Um, Charity?"

"Yes Alice?"

"Was his name Kiba?"

Alice looked up to see Charity's widened eyes. "H-How did you know that?"

"I-I've met him."

"Where? When? How is he?"

Alice's eyes were sharp and Charity backed off. Charity took a swallow. "I'm sorry. Could you please tell me when you met him?"

"I met him a while ago. It wasn't under the most pleasant conditions, but he's stuck in my mind forever."

"Did you love him?" Charity asked uncertainly. She couldn't imagine Alice with Kiba.

"No. Not by a long shot," Alice scoffed. "He wasn't very kind to me or my friends."

"Are you sure it's the same person Alice?"

Alice nodded, "I know it's the same person."

"Charity, Kiba's dead."

Charity closed her eyes. When they opened, they were welled with crystal tears, "What happened?"

Alice took a deep breath, "It's a long story."

"I have time."

With that, the redhead launched into everything she and Shun had been through in the past years.

ATLOVE'SEND

Charity was crying now. At the end, Alice finally looked away from the older woman.

"When? When did this all begin?" she asked quietly.

Alice shook her head, but it was enough for Charity to guess. "It was after I told him to leave my house, wasn't it?"

Alice pursed her lips, "Yeah. He became…evil…after that night."

"Were that many people killed because of my forwardness…" she gripped the table. Charity leaned in and set her head on the cool wood.

"Charity?" Alice began.

Charity started to write in the tea ring that had set in, "You know, I looked everywhere for Kiba the day after? I couldn't find him anywhere. I wanted to apologize…but I never found him."

Alice closed her eyes. **I hate him, but I can't feel anything but sorrow for him. He suffered so much, for something that could have been fixed.**

"I met another man not long after. I began to slow my search for him, but I never-I never forgot."

Charity lifted her head to look at Alice, "I'm sorry Alice. For all that you and your boyfriend went through. I truly am."

Alice shook her head, and sadly smiled, "It's fine. It all turned out for the best." The redhead got up and set down some money for the tea. "Thank you for helping me and the talk."

Charity looked at her kind eyes. Though she was the older one, Alice seemed to hold so much wealth in her chocolate orbs.

"Charity, it's time you let go of him. You have family, and what's done is done. It's alright."

_…If it doesn't return, it never felt the same…_

ATLOVE'SEND

The woman walked into her house. She heard peals of laughter emitting from the living room, and she peeked in to see her kids watching TV.

"Hi Mom!" they both shouted.

She rolled her eyes, "Have you finished your homework? You have school tomorrow!" she chided. At their chorus of yes, she continued to the kitchen.

"Hey honey," she said, kissing her husband's lips.

"Hi dear. Tonight's my night to cook, right? I'm making my famous chili!" he beamed.

She chuckled, "Alright. I'm going on up for a while. I need something for tomorrow."

He turned back to the frying food and she walked up the stairs. Alice's words echoed in both her heart and mind, but she couldn't put them to rest that easily.

Sitting on their bed, she opened up her phone. Silently, she moved through the applications until she reached the old messages that she saved.

_Hey Charity,_

_I've got something to tell you…I'll meet you at the usual place?_

_I love you Angel…_

_-Kiba_

It was just a single sentence, but it meant the world to her. This was the last message he'd ever sent her, and it was the one she cherished most because it was the foreshadow to her loss.

She rested her head on her hand as she flipped through the picture album. Her husband didn't know about her little album especially for Kiba. It was filled with pictures of them together. **He looks so happy…Is what Alice said true? Did he really do all that because of me?**

"Kiba…" Charity breathed.

Her husband opened the door abruptly, "Food's ready Char!"

She winced, **Kiba hated nicknames…except for Angel.**

She put on a smile, "Just checking my phone honey. Be down in a minute," she answered. He nodded and closed the door behind him. He could be heard in the distance calling out to his children.

She looked at Kiba's smiling face, and let a few tears drop onto the picture.

"Maybe things could have been different."

ATLOVE'SEND

Everyone in the house was asleep and it was silent. A small shadow fell on Charity's face, but she didn't stir. She was sleeping away from her husband, closer to the edge of the bed.

A pale hand reached and gently pushed her hair away from her face. The shadow sighed at her peaceful features and bent over to pick up the phone that had slipped from her hand during the night. He placed it back on the stand.

"Charity…"

"Do you regret what you did?" a deep voice asked him. It was a mellow tone, honeyed from experience.

"I did since the moment I started."

"Then why?"

"For her."

The second voice was silent.

The first took it as a sign to soon end his time here. After his passing, Death had intervened before he could be sent to the depths of Hell. Soon enough, he ended up as a wandering soul until he learned the 'truth of himself', as the Grim Reaper put it.

It finally made sense.

Kiba's wings were spread out to their full length. There weren't harsh and sharp, but full and a bit rough, as if they represented the healing that their owner was doing.

Death had called Kiba interesting, with a story that had yet to be completed. He was a soundless companion for the Fallen, and a timeless advisor as well.

Kiba leaned in, and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry Charity."

He looked at Death, who only nodded his black haired head and moved to let him pass before him into the portal that would lead them both back to where they belonged.

"You've changed Kiba. When I first brought you back to find your true reason, all you did was yell and sulk. Now, you've become a peaceful person."

"I had a reason."

Death sighed, "You Fallens are strange."

Kiba looked at Death. Death walked through the portal first, understanding the former's need to stay alone for a moment.

Charity moved a bit, and sat up. She seemed a bit surprised that the sheets were perfectly laid on her, when she knew she tended to toss them off in her sleep. "Kiba?" she whispered slowly into the dark.

The Fallen knew she couldn't see him, not without a Bond. Kiba sadly smiled.

"Maybe this could have all been avoided."

_…But if it does, it loves you more._

**Happy Birthday Copperpelt!**

**I hope you liked it, and I hope I did your characters at least a bit of justice.**

**Until next time everyone!**


End file.
